Understanding the True Cost of Vacant Properties in Baton Rouge

Our desired output will be a GIS layer of parcels classified in terms of their current status (vacant or not), years since they have been vacant, costs per year on maintenance, and a review of existing knowledge on the existing human health and well-being costs of urban blight in Baton Rouge, LA.

While there is interest in revitalizing city centers, policy hurdles associated to succession titles and property rights limit the options available on a short timescale; while many properties sit idle waiting for title clearing for decades, housing demand continues encroaching into natural areas that are crucially needed in Louisiana for flood mitigation services. Our project seeks to bring attention to the need for policy reform to address the use of vacant and blighted properties, by conducting a costs assessment for the maintenance of vacant and blighted properties in the city.

We will research existing vacant, adjudicated and blighted properties and classify them in terms the number of years they have been under adjudication and blight classifications. We will reach out to local stakeholders and look for existing databases for information on the annual costs of maintenance for such properties. With the number of years and annual cost, we will make an estimate of the current expenditures in blighted properties, and couple that information with a review of local costs of blight for human health and well-being (crime statistics, nuisance pests, 311 calls).